1996 BMW M3Problems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 1 owner complaint about the 1996 BMW M3, most often about the fuel system, gasoline. It is covered by 1 safety recall.

CarFlaw IndexNot enough dataHigher is better (0–100)

Safety recalls1Free fix at dealers Owner complaints10 with a crash, fire or injury Top problem1Fuel system, gasoline

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through January 24, 2000. Updated daily.

Complaints by system

Where the 1996 BMW M3 has problems

1 complaint grouped by the system owners reported.

1Fuel system, gasoline

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.

Complaints by system
System	Complaints	Crash, fire or injury
Fuel system, gasoline	1	0

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

1 recall

1996 BMW M3 recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

no report yet

Vehicle speed control

Recall 97V-131 · Aug 19, 1997 · 410,000 vehicles

Risk. THIS COULD CAUSE THE THROTTLE VALVE TO REMAIN PARTIALLY OPEN.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with BMW.

Best & worst years

1996 vs. every other M3 year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the M3 median. How we score

2 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 1 19 14 11 0 14 40 54 31 12 14 0 82 45 15 31 6 13 0 4 5 3 9 3 1 1 2

'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'21'22'23'25

Avoid
Caution
Solid
Best
Not rated

In owners' words

What M3 owners report

Recent fuel system, gasoline complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

I OWN A 1996 BMW M3. FOUR TIMES SINCE IT WAS NEW THE FUEL GAUGE HAS FAILED, AND EACH TIME FUEL SENDERS WERE REPLACED TO GET IT WORKING AGAIN. AS YOU'LL SEE, THE PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AMONG BMWS, BUT ONLY IN CALIFORNIA, AND BMW CAN'T OR WON'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM. MY DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE MANAGER (LARRY…
Complaint 717802 · Jan 24, 2000

Own a 1996 M3?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.